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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27547702">Mac and his nightmares (from The Private Writings of Jack Dalton)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/EWM/pseuds/EWM'>EWM</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Comfortember (myfirstone!!) [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>MacGyver (TV 2016)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Caring Jack Dalton (MacGyver TV 2016), Gen, Mac and Jack - Freeform, Mac and Jack in Afghanistan - Freeform, Parental Jack Dalton (MacGyver TV 2016), Poor Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Pre-Series, Worried Jack Dalton (MacGyver TV 2016), army fic, sandbox</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:42:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>897</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27547702</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/EWM/pseuds/EWM</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Okay so I was playing around with the Day 11 Comfortember prompt in my brain and well this what came out. </p><p>I also thought it would be a fun idea to add a bit more to Jack Dalton writings, let me know what you think? This is sort of meant to be comforting, but I get it's kinda sad too.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jack Dalton &amp; Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Mac and Jack in Afghanistan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Comfortember (myfirstone!!) [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1996306</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Comfortember 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Mac and his nightmares (from The Private Writings of Jack Dalton)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If I’m honest, I’m not exactly sure why I’m writing this bit about Mac down. It was something real private for him and in some ways I feel bad and it was never exactly fun for me to deal with either. I guess I’m doing it because I want to show something of the real Mac too; good and bad; happy and I guess not so happy. Mac projected this image of himself that he was indestructible; had a diamond shell around himself (Mac always told me diamond was one of the strongest rocks around so I’m going wit that okay).  Anyway the fact was that it simply wasn’t true. Mac had great bits to his personality, I mean I loved the kid with my whole heart, but there was a lot not exactly wrong with Mac. But there was a lot in him that he hid from the world, I mean I sometimes spent 24 hours a day with the kid and sometimes he wouldn’t even let me in.</p><p>I guess it started in the sandbox and I’ll admit right now. Mac wasn’t the only one messed up by his time there. I think may the kid joined up for the wrong reasons; I never wanted to judge him, he was brave and he did what he had to do. But I always got the notion that maybe he was there…I don’t know prove something. He’d never say anything though, it was just me guessing ultimately. One time he did open up team a bit; it was after what became known as ‘the day of 1000 IEDS’. It was one of the few times I wasn’t actually with Mac, something I hate admitting, there were so many bombs that day that it got decided that I shouldn’t go out with him, I should go out with some of the less experienced bomb nerds and patrol more fully. Mac was an experience tech and soldier by then so the higher ups decided that…I was furious, I was supposed to protect Mac and I could protect him and a bunch of other people too.</p><p>But my protests and curses didn’t get me anywhere and Mac and I split off. Mac survived and so did I other than a few bruises and a few grey hairs. I remember when I saw Mac, I hugged him so hard back at base camp ignoring the laughs around me. I was just like, it’s okay he’s fine. He didn’t blow up when I wasn’t there. He only smiled at me, but he did return the hug.  We all got drunk as skunks that night, it was one of those fuck me we actually survived that night. It was twinged with poison too because although we did survive, I knew a whole load of guys that didn’t. But no one was ready to cope with that. So we all got as drunk as we could. I remember having to push Mac towards his bunk cause he couldn’t stand (he was a real light weight in those days).</p><p>I feel asleep pretty content or as content as you could be with sand in your ass and risking your life on a daily basis. Mac woke me up a few hour later, I’m amazed he didn’t wake anyone else up, I guess because my bunk was so close to his, I heard his muttering, or I recognised it. Anyway, I woke up and I saw him a foot away from me; on his back-pouring sweat, his head violently jerking back and forth. He reached his arms out and then put them back again gripping the sides of the bunk tighter and tighter, the movements got more violent.  At one point he slammed his hand in the metal of the bunk bed. Then I got up and moved over to Mac, I grabbed his arms and tried wake him up as quiet as I could. I gripped him tighter and said his name over and over again. Eventually he came out of his trance, his little dark hell. He woke up and squinted at me balanced on the bed next to him, he was breathing hard. Mac then grabbed my arms, he was still muttering, I had to lean in close to hear him</p><p>
  <em>“I didn’t stop them all….I couldn’t….There wasn’t enough time…I couldn’t disarm them all.”</em>
</p><p>My heart sank when I heard this, I should have known that Mac’s screwed up brain would come up with something like this. The fact that he stopped dozens of ‘em that day, that was forgotten, only the ones he couldn’t stop. He kept repeating this phrase over and over again, still holding onto my arms.</p><p>
  <em>“Easy Mac, easy Mac. I know there were more, there were more than anybody could stop. You save a lot of people Mac. Focus on that…you saved so many people Mac. That’s a good thing.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I couldn’t….There wasn’t enough time…Jack I couldn’t disarm them all”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I know kid, I know.”</em>
</p><p>After that I just hugged him, I brought him into what Mac later called a Dalton bear hug. I couldn’t think of anything else to say to him. I just waited and held him. That was probably the first time Mac had serious nightmares, at least when I was around. It certainly wasn’t the last.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Mac and nightmares, a well tread trope in our fandom. But I thought I could expand it ? Maybe talk more about PTSD and Jack coping with Mac</p></blockquote></div></div>
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